They are not I finish.
Anti-Climatic Curse The Long Island University Sharks made a bid in one of the strangest conference tournaments, having already earned an automatic berth in March Madness before winning the NEC championship game over Mercyhurst 79-70 on Tuesday night in Brooklyn.
The Erie, Pa., school is ineligible for the NCAA Tournament due to its 2024 jump from Division II to Division I, and must wait until 2027-2028 for a chance to dance.
LIU won the de facto Northeast Conference bid after defeating city rival Wagner 64-56 in Saturday night’s semifinal game before making it clear that it is the No. 1 team in the NEC. It is LIU’s first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2018.
Going the right way and devoid of asterisks for the tournament’s No. 1 seed — and taking a torch back and forth in front of a packed home crowd — meant everything to the Sharks faithful who rushed onto their court in jubilation at the buzzer.
The exciting, high-scoring game for the Pride came down to the final three and a half minutes, when Leo led 68-63 and pushed the lead to 72-65 with 1:41 remaining on two free throws.
The Sharks, whose floor-shaking fans have spread across college basketball for clapping their “fins” from “The Reef” spirit section when LIU hits free throws, made 15 of 28 from the goal line.
Senior guards Greg Gordon and Malachi Davis excelled with 24 points each.
Graduate student Jamal Fuller recorded a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds against the No. 3 Lakers.
The Sharks now face uncharted waters, with their bracket standings and opponent remaining a mystery until Sunday’s deadline.